Lately my life has been a little boring... which is why I haven't written much. It's mostly too cold to go outside, so I spend a lot of time in my apartment. I have come up with various things with which to entertain myself. I've been spending a lot of time reading, and have gotten through the first 9 books of the Patrick O'Brian series in a little over a month. Sophie also helps a lot, and we've come up with all sorts of new games to play. One of her favorites began when I decided she really needed some civilized manners, and so tried to teach her not to chew on my feet all the time. My method for this was beating her with a rolled-up Newsweek whenever she started chewing on me. That quickly turned into a new game, and now whenever I pull out the rolled-up Newsweek she growls and barks and runs around in circles while I chase her. She's surprisingling agile, and generally wins the game. I'm finding that she is quite difficult to discipline. I have tried beating her with my felt slippers when she latches on and forces me to drag her around my apartment. She actually seems to like that, and it also became a game. She is a sassy little pup, and backtalks all the time. When I tell her "no," she growls.
Andrea, Tuul, Ochgo and I have also started a new tradition of going dancing every Friday night. We started it as a celebration of wine being back in stores, the second week we celebrated the fact that they started selling beer in Tsetserleg again. Our most recent dancing expedition brought back vodka. Since vodka, beer and wine are pretty much the only alcohol available in Mongolia outside of UB, we will have to think of something new to celebrate next Friday.
I have come to love dancing in Tsetserleg. They play bad music, and generally we hear the same song at least twice in the 2-3 hours we are there (some songs as many as 4 times). But there is always something interesting that happens. Two weeks ago there were some hudoo guys in for the weekend, and they came to the dance club in their winter dels and Mongol boots. One of them, who's name was "Soel" (Culture in Mongolian), bravely came up and started talking to us and even let us drag him out on the dance floor. He was so adorable, and it turns out that he owns horses and his summer camp is about 2km from the hot springs in Arkhangai. So we have plans to make a trip out there to go riding as soon as he moves back to his summer camp in May. Last friday I was asked to dance by a 16 year old, and he taught me the slow version of the Waltz. I wasn't very good at it, but he generously counted for me which helped a lot.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The Nine Nines
The Mongolian winter lasts for 81 days. It is divided into nine periods of nine days, and each period has a meaning attached of the various things that will freeze during that period. Winter starts on the Winter Solstice, which was December 21st this year, and so it ends on March 10th (a day I am awaiting with great anticipation).
1st: Mongolian vodka made from mare's milk will freeze
2nd: A different type of Mongolian vodka made from mare's milk will freeze (or Russian vodka, depending on who you talk to)
3rd: The horns of 3 year old bulls will freeze
4th: The horns of 4 year old bulls will freeze
5th: Rice will not freeze
6th: Some snow will melt and you will be able to see the lines on the road (that is, if there is a road and it has lines....)
7th: The snow will melt from the top of little mountains
8th: The road will be slushy
9th: It will be warm (I'm assuming that's relative)
Today we started the 4th nine, which is supposed to be the coldest. I'm hoping that will not be the case this year, as the past week has been "colder than it's been in the past 6 years" according to my Mongolian friends and the Peace Corps. We even got a text message from the Peace Corps telling us it would be really cold, and basically "make sure you don't die." I knew before I came to Mongolia that it would be cold in the winter, but I have never experienced such extreme cold. And I live in one of the warmest places in the country. Everyone says that in Mongolia it's dry cold, so it's not that bad. I have to disagree, dry cold is worse. You can't breathe when you walk outside, and even the 6 minute walk to my office freezes my ears and nose unless I am completely encased in a scarf and hat with only my eyes showing. And even then, my eyes water and my eyelashes start to freeze together.
Nearly every morning my coworkers ask me if I'm cold, and if my apartment is warm or cold. Before this week the answer was always "maybe a little cold" or "my apartment is warm." But now my apartment gets really cold as soon as it is dark outside, and I am kicking myself for not taking the space heater that the Peace Corps provides us (I plan to rectify that when I go to UB in two weeks).
But at least we are now in the coldest part of winter, and it can only get better from here! I'm looking forward to the day I can go outside again.
1st: Mongolian vodka made from mare's milk will freeze
2nd: A different type of Mongolian vodka made from mare's milk will freeze (or Russian vodka, depending on who you talk to)
3rd: The horns of 3 year old bulls will freeze
4th: The horns of 4 year old bulls will freeze
5th: Rice will not freeze
6th: Some snow will melt and you will be able to see the lines on the road (that is, if there is a road and it has lines....)
7th: The snow will melt from the top of little mountains
8th: The road will be slushy
9th: It will be warm (I'm assuming that's relative)
Today we started the 4th nine, which is supposed to be the coldest. I'm hoping that will not be the case this year, as the past week has been "colder than it's been in the past 6 years" according to my Mongolian friends and the Peace Corps. We even got a text message from the Peace Corps telling us it would be really cold, and basically "make sure you don't die." I knew before I came to Mongolia that it would be cold in the winter, but I have never experienced such extreme cold. And I live in one of the warmest places in the country. Everyone says that in Mongolia it's dry cold, so it's not that bad. I have to disagree, dry cold is worse. You can't breathe when you walk outside, and even the 6 minute walk to my office freezes my ears and nose unless I am completely encased in a scarf and hat with only my eyes showing. And even then, my eyes water and my eyelashes start to freeze together.
Nearly every morning my coworkers ask me if I'm cold, and if my apartment is warm or cold. Before this week the answer was always "maybe a little cold" or "my apartment is warm." But now my apartment gets really cold as soon as it is dark outside, and I am kicking myself for not taking the space heater that the Peace Corps provides us (I plan to rectify that when I go to UB in two weeks).
But at least we are now in the coldest part of winter, and it can only get better from here! I'm looking forward to the day I can go outside again.
Monday, January 14, 2008
A Very Dry Country
Mongolia has been experiencing a period of prohibition for the past couple weeks. This was brought on when someone at the Asia Wolf vodka distillery in UB had the bright idea to add methanol to the vodka, killing 11 people over New Year's. Many other people were hospitalized, including the president of the company. As a reaction to this tragic event the government pulled all clear liquor off the shelves for an indefinite period of time. Somehow beer and wine were also included, but only in some areas of the country. In Tsetserleg wine was brought back last Friday, but beer and vodka are still off the shelves.
The really scary part of this whole debacle is that, rumor has it, the company was also filling old Haraa and Chinggis vodka bottles with their poison, and no one knows where these bottles ended up. Chinggis is one of the most expensive brands of vodka in Mongolia, so people would expect they are buying a safe product. Police are supposed to be confiscating and destroying all vodka throughout the country, but of course this isn't working out quite like it should. Instead, many police are giving or selling confiscated vodka to their friends.
It is nice not having ridiculously drunk men wandering the streets, but with Tsaagan Sar coming up it will be interesting to see if the government brings back vodka for the holiday. Tsaagan Sar is one of Mongolia's biggest holidays, and vodka is a vital part. This holiday officially lasts for three days, but in soums out in the countryside it can last up to a month. My fear is that if legitimate vodka isn't on the shelves, people will make their own, and that will be bad for everyone.
Some Random Pictures
The really scary part of this whole debacle is that, rumor has it, the company was also filling old Haraa and Chinggis vodka bottles with their poison, and no one knows where these bottles ended up. Chinggis is one of the most expensive brands of vodka in Mongolia, so people would expect they are buying a safe product. Police are supposed to be confiscating and destroying all vodka throughout the country, but of course this isn't working out quite like it should. Instead, many police are giving or selling confiscated vodka to their friends.
It is nice not having ridiculously drunk men wandering the streets, but with Tsaagan Sar coming up it will be interesting to see if the government brings back vodka for the holiday. Tsaagan Sar is one of Mongolia's biggest holidays, and vodka is a vital part. This holiday officially lasts for three days, but in soums out in the countryside it can last up to a month. My fear is that if legitimate vodka isn't on the shelves, people will make their own, and that will be bad for everyone.
Some Random Pictures
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Happy New Year
The past three weeks have gone by in a bit of a blur. First we had a Peace Corps In Service Training (IST) in a ger camp outside of UB. All PCVs brought their counterpart with them, and it was a mixture of cross-culture, safety and security, technical and language training. Also a great excuse for the M18s to party together at night, as it was the first time we all saw each other since August.
The ger camp where IST was held was an interesting experience… It was really beautiful, in the middle of Terelj National Park. There were houses and gers, and those of us who live in cities or aimeg centers were all assigned to the gers except for a few. I was one of the lucky ones (so I though) who stayed in a house, with a toilet and a shower. Unfortunately the electrical capacity of the ger camp didn’t come close to being able to support all the electric heaters and lights, so the first couple days the power went out about every 20 minutes. Living in a ger does have its benefits, mainly in that you can build a fire. One night the electricity in our house went out in the middle of the night, and we all woke up freezing cold. Once it came back on my electric heater went a little crazy and started exploding and shooting blue sparks at me while I huddled in the corner of my bed and screamed like a little girl. Luckily Amber was there to unplug it. Later, when the Mongolians came to check it out I had an interesting time explaining to them that the heater had been shooting fire at me, while they looked at me like I was crazy. They took the wall socket out and did something to the wires, and seemed to think that it was fine, but I made them take it away. I’m pretty sure they “replaced” it with the same one, but no more blue sparks so oh well.
IST was full of interesting happenings. On the second day I and several others had partied just a bit too hard the night before and skipped a language training session to take a nap. We all got our names called out at lunch and had to have a talking-to during which we were told that had it only been one or two of us to skip, no big deal. But since 15 of us decided a nap was more important, we were going to be punished. Our “punishment” was that we had to serve dinner to everyone that night, which actually turned out to be kind of fun, and of course we served the Country Director and all the other important people last (they brought it upon themselves…. Giving the delinquents power over their food may not have been the wisest of choices).
The four Mercy Corps PCVs and our counterparts also had a very enjoyable “meeting” one evening. I invited Uunee to come over to my house and have a couple drinks, which turned into all the Mercy Corps counterparts, some of whom may have slightly deceived their PCVs into thinking it was an actual meeting… After we all had a good laugh about that we went down to the main building and bonded over a couple bottles of vodka and of course the mandatory Mongolian singing by those of us who know a song (I, to my great shame, do not yet know a Mongolian song… but am working on it).
We also had a bachelorette party for Kim, who is now at home in America getting married. She will be returning, and bringing her new husband along with her (brave soul that he is). I’m convinced that there never has been nor ever will be a bachelorette party quite like this one. Who else but Peace Corps volunteers can be convinced (and I don’t think it took a whole lot…) into stripping down to Victoria’s Secret panties and dancing around in front of about 20 women? For free?? And they let us take pictures… I’m told they even rehearsed their routine. In costume.
After IST we all returned to UB and had a couple days to relax (though there is never much relaxing that happens in UB) before our Christmas party on the 23rd. Brigette, a German expat who owns a bakery in UB generously gave us the use of her summer home outside of UB for the party. She and the Ambassador were both extremely generous in providing us all the food and beverages we could possibly want. A lot of us spent the night out there, and though it was really cold, we all had a great time. The next morning we spent several hours cleaning up the giant mess we had made (and I'm sure the local Mongolians thought we were all crazy drunks as they watched us haul billions of beer cans and wine bottles to the dump). As the morning wore on people started to head back to UB, those of us who were left made some hamburgers on the grill (a delightful experience) and drank some of the left-over beer after warming it over the fire. Probably the only time in any of our lives we will complain of beer being too cold, but frozen beer is really hard to drink.
A few of us ended up spending a second night out there, and had a quiet Christmas Eve which was nice after all the partying of the previous few days. Christmas was also pretty quiet for me, which was nice. I cooked dinner for a few friends. I made roast chicken and potatoes and broccoli. I was sooo excited to eat broccoli, it's one of the vegetables I miss the most.
The day after Christmas all four of the Arkhangai PCVs braved the bus ride home together, and after some more practice at climbing somewhat gracefully over piles of boxes and bags of frozen meat to get to our seats we arrived home safe and sound. The next day was the Mercy Corps New Year's party.
Mongolians celebrate New Year's any time between Christmas and the 31st, and somehow there has been some confusion between the two holidays. Santa generally makes an appearance on New Year's, as do Christmas trees. One thing Peace Corps forgot to tell me before I came to Mongolia is that I should have brought a prom dress, because that is the attire for women at New Year's parties. I told Uunee I didn't have a dress, and she said it was OK, so I just went with the typically-American jeans and black tank top. I did wear my high heel sandals from the Summer though, and I think it's the first time any of my coworkers has seen me in high heels. When I got to the nightclub where our party was held I found all the women in a back room busily changing into their dresses and using liberal amounts of glitter. They decided that even though I didn't have a dress, so long as I had glitter in my hair, on my face, my back, arms and chest, I would be Ok. So I let them douse me in glitter and we were ready.
The party was really fun, with lots of strange games and dancing. I even got to waltz with Gambaa, my favorite Mongolian. Waltzing in Mongolia is a big deal, everyone knows how and especially in the countryside it is an integral part of any celebration. I learned how over the summer, and was actually pretty good at it, but all my skills have left me. But Gambaa generously drug me around the dance floor and tried to make me look like less of a fool. I'm not sure how well it worked, but oh well. Being American you are allowed to look like a fool. :)
Actual New Year's Eve was an interesting experience. It was something like the 4th of July with no city restrictions on fireworks. From my balcony I could see fireworks going off all over the ger districts, and even fireworks shooting past my head as my neighbors shot them off of their balconies. It made me glad I live in a concrete building. I was really surprised not to see any gers go up in flames.
Now it's just a countdown to Tsaagan Sar, the Lunar New Year which is a much bigger deal in Mongolia than our New Year. Tsaagan Sar is February 8th this year, and will consist of three days of visiting friends and family eating lots of buutz and drinking lots of vodka. Uunee has agreed to let me help her and her family make buutz, each family usually makes between 1,000 and 5,000 buutz so I'm sure they can use all the help they can get. And hopefully I will be able to perfect my buutz-pinching skills.
Note: I added some new pictures to the December file.
The ger camp where IST was held was an interesting experience… It was really beautiful, in the middle of Terelj National Park. There were houses and gers, and those of us who live in cities or aimeg centers were all assigned to the gers except for a few. I was one of the lucky ones (so I though) who stayed in a house, with a toilet and a shower. Unfortunately the electrical capacity of the ger camp didn’t come close to being able to support all the electric heaters and lights, so the first couple days the power went out about every 20 minutes. Living in a ger does have its benefits, mainly in that you can build a fire. One night the electricity in our house went out in the middle of the night, and we all woke up freezing cold. Once it came back on my electric heater went a little crazy and started exploding and shooting blue sparks at me while I huddled in the corner of my bed and screamed like a little girl. Luckily Amber was there to unplug it. Later, when the Mongolians came to check it out I had an interesting time explaining to them that the heater had been shooting fire at me, while they looked at me like I was crazy. They took the wall socket out and did something to the wires, and seemed to think that it was fine, but I made them take it away. I’m pretty sure they “replaced” it with the same one, but no more blue sparks so oh well.
IST was full of interesting happenings. On the second day I and several others had partied just a bit too hard the night before and skipped a language training session to take a nap. We all got our names called out at lunch and had to have a talking-to during which we were told that had it only been one or two of us to skip, no big deal. But since 15 of us decided a nap was more important, we were going to be punished. Our “punishment” was that we had to serve dinner to everyone that night, which actually turned out to be kind of fun, and of course we served the Country Director and all the other important people last (they brought it upon themselves…. Giving the delinquents power over their food may not have been the wisest of choices).
The four Mercy Corps PCVs and our counterparts also had a very enjoyable “meeting” one evening. I invited Uunee to come over to my house and have a couple drinks, which turned into all the Mercy Corps counterparts, some of whom may have slightly deceived their PCVs into thinking it was an actual meeting… After we all had a good laugh about that we went down to the main building and bonded over a couple bottles of vodka and of course the mandatory Mongolian singing by those of us who know a song (I, to my great shame, do not yet know a Mongolian song… but am working on it).
We also had a bachelorette party for Kim, who is now at home in America getting married. She will be returning, and bringing her new husband along with her (brave soul that he is). I’m convinced that there never has been nor ever will be a bachelorette party quite like this one. Who else but Peace Corps volunteers can be convinced (and I don’t think it took a whole lot…) into stripping down to Victoria’s Secret panties and dancing around in front of about 20 women? For free?? And they let us take pictures… I’m told they even rehearsed their routine. In costume.
After IST we all returned to UB and had a couple days to relax (though there is never much relaxing that happens in UB) before our Christmas party on the 23rd. Brigette, a German expat who owns a bakery in UB generously gave us the use of her summer home outside of UB for the party. She and the Ambassador were both extremely generous in providing us all the food and beverages we could possibly want. A lot of us spent the night out there, and though it was really cold, we all had a great time. The next morning we spent several hours cleaning up the giant mess we had made (and I'm sure the local Mongolians thought we were all crazy drunks as they watched us haul billions of beer cans and wine bottles to the dump). As the morning wore on people started to head back to UB, those of us who were left made some hamburgers on the grill (a delightful experience) and drank some of the left-over beer after warming it over the fire. Probably the only time in any of our lives we will complain of beer being too cold, but frozen beer is really hard to drink.
A few of us ended up spending a second night out there, and had a quiet Christmas Eve which was nice after all the partying of the previous few days. Christmas was also pretty quiet for me, which was nice. I cooked dinner for a few friends. I made roast chicken and potatoes and broccoli. I was sooo excited to eat broccoli, it's one of the vegetables I miss the most.
The day after Christmas all four of the Arkhangai PCVs braved the bus ride home together, and after some more practice at climbing somewhat gracefully over piles of boxes and bags of frozen meat to get to our seats we arrived home safe and sound. The next day was the Mercy Corps New Year's party.
Mongolians celebrate New Year's any time between Christmas and the 31st, and somehow there has been some confusion between the two holidays. Santa generally makes an appearance on New Year's, as do Christmas trees. One thing Peace Corps forgot to tell me before I came to Mongolia is that I should have brought a prom dress, because that is the attire for women at New Year's parties. I told Uunee I didn't have a dress, and she said it was OK, so I just went with the typically-American jeans and black tank top. I did wear my high heel sandals from the Summer though, and I think it's the first time any of my coworkers has seen me in high heels. When I got to the nightclub where our party was held I found all the women in a back room busily changing into their dresses and using liberal amounts of glitter. They decided that even though I didn't have a dress, so long as I had glitter in my hair, on my face, my back, arms and chest, I would be Ok. So I let them douse me in glitter and we were ready.
The party was really fun, with lots of strange games and dancing. I even got to waltz with Gambaa, my favorite Mongolian. Waltzing in Mongolia is a big deal, everyone knows how and especially in the countryside it is an integral part of any celebration. I learned how over the summer, and was actually pretty good at it, but all my skills have left me. But Gambaa generously drug me around the dance floor and tried to make me look like less of a fool. I'm not sure how well it worked, but oh well. Being American you are allowed to look like a fool. :)
Actual New Year's Eve was an interesting experience. It was something like the 4th of July with no city restrictions on fireworks. From my balcony I could see fireworks going off all over the ger districts, and even fireworks shooting past my head as my neighbors shot them off of their balconies. It made me glad I live in a concrete building. I was really surprised not to see any gers go up in flames.
Now it's just a countdown to Tsaagan Sar, the Lunar New Year which is a much bigger deal in Mongolia than our New Year. Tsaagan Sar is February 8th this year, and will consist of three days of visiting friends and family eating lots of buutz and drinking lots of vodka. Uunee has agreed to let me help her and her family make buutz, each family usually makes between 1,000 and 5,000 buutz so I'm sure they can use all the help they can get. And hopefully I will be able to perfect my buutz-pinching skills.
Note: I added some new pictures to the December file.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)